“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Although this journey will consist of more than a thousand miles, this quote still makes me put everything into perspective. When I first started applying I was beyond stoked; I was ready to take on 11 countries in 11 months and spread the kingdom of God. When I got the call and was accepted, I was both extremely excited knowing this was confirmation of God’s future for me, and humbled that He wanted me to go on this epic journey for Him.
However, after the initial excitement wore off, I needed to get down to business. There’s A LOT that needs to be done before I launch in September. Between training for the Honolulu Marathon, studying hard for finals, and the holidays coming up, I needed to balance that and getting ready for the World Race.
As for the World Race, I will face many challenges, one of them being my financial support. Like most other missions organizations, World Race participants are required to fundraise individual financial support. In order to leave fully funded on March 1st 2015, I need to raise $16,264.00. This money will cover all of my field expenses for the 11 months of my trip.
In addition to that amount, I will need to raise $5,000.00 to cover my trips to and from training camp, to the launch point, from the launch point, camping gear, vaccinations, and much more.
Money aside, I’ll need to figure out which vaccinations to take, figure out how much malaria pills and other medicine I’ll need, what kind of camping gear I should buy, and so much more.
Yes, you could say I’m quite overwhelmed. BUT, when I break things done and trust in God that this WILL happen, I’m able to move forward. One step at a time.
God has already affirmed by journey time and time again. A little over a month ago, I attended the Scholarship Luncheon for the Shidler College of Business. I was blessed to be the undergraduate speaker at the event. When I was in line to get food, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw this guy standing next to me. He said, “Hi Kaili, do you remember me? I’m your cousin, Winston.”
I was floored. I haven’t seen my cousin in over 10 years. Who knew the odds were that we would meet at this luncheon! We talked for a bit and then had to sit down and eat at our assigned tables. When I got up to speak, in a snippet of my speech I talked about the World Race. After the event was over, Winston and I caught up and we talked about the World Race. He turned out to be my first financial donor. But more importantly, I now have a family member that I’m close with once again.
Since then, I’ve been slowly moving forward. It’s been an incredibly humbling experience. Aside from people supporting me financially, it’s been wonderful to see people use their gifts and talents from God to help me in other ways. Whether it’s giving me recommendations on camping gear, or helping me understand more about vaccinations and medicine, I’m truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life.
What I love about this journey is that even though there’s so much that needs to be done, this journey is not just about me. The World Race is an opportunity for everyone who has invested in me financially, through prayer, or any way possible, to go on this journey with me. We will all take this journey one step at a time, and when we look back, we’ll be amazed to see how far we’ve come!
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I will be raising $16,264 to cover the cost of this incredible adventure. If God lays it on your heart to help support me financially, please click “Support Me!” on the left hand side to make a tax-deductible donation. Or, you can cut out the small online processing fee by mailing a check to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Checks should be made out to “Adventures in Missions”.
***Make sure to put “Kai Taniguchi” in the memo line of the check!***
